033: Passive House Series #2: Systems Thinking and Human-Centered Design with Cameron Caja

About this episode

Cameron Caja discusses Passive House design and its implications for community health and housing affordability in Northwest Arkansas.

Cameron Caja joins us to explore the world of Passive House design—what it is, how it works, and why it matters for Northwest Arkansas. From energy modeling and airtight membranes to long-term resilience and community health, Cameron unpacks the systems thinking behind better buildings. He also shares insights on affordability, incremental change, and his work with Habitat for Humanity to make high-performance housing more accessible. Show Links: Cameron Caja Polaris High Performance Homes Passive Building Principles KUAF Story on Magnolia House NWA Democrat-Gazette Story on Magnolia House Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) Home Energy Rx Phius Spring Street Passive House City of Fayetteville Composting Program Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Groundwork (Northwest Arkansas Council) Community Development NWA Passive House Accelerator Reimagine Buildings Collective Tri Cycle Farms Apple Seeds NWA Cobblestone Farms #FayetteForward #FayettevilleAR #FayettevilleArkansas #NorthwestArkansas #PassiveHouse #PassiveHouseSeries #BuildingScience #HighPerformanceHomes #HumanCenteredDesign #EnergyModeling

People in this episode

Hosts: Meredith Castin, Nick Castin

Guest: Cameron Caja

Topics covered

• Passive House design
• systems thinking
• human-centered design
• energy modeling
• community health
• affordability
• high-performance housing

Keywords

• Passive House
• building science
• energy modeling
• high-performance homes
• human-centered design
• community development
• affordability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Polaris High Performance Homes, NWA Democrat-Gazette, Energy Recovery Ventilator, Home Energy Rx, Phius, City of Fayetteville, Groundwork (Northwest Arkansas Council), NWA Passive House Accelerator, Reimagine Buildings Collective

Places: Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville

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